Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address during 'Grih Pravesh' of PM Awas Yojana-Gramin beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh
Namaskar ji!
Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh ji Chouhan, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, Ministers in the Madhya Pradesh government, my colleagues in Parliament, MLAs of Madhya Pradesh, other dignitaries and my dear brothers and sisters of Madhya Pradesh!
Today, about 5.25 lakh poor families of Madhya Pradesh are getting the pucca house of their dreams. In a few days, the New Year, Vikram Samvat 2079, is going to start. The ‘Grih Pravesham’  ahead of New Year is a priceless moment of life in itself. I wish you all the very best.
Friends,
Some political parties in our country raised many slogans to eradicate poverty, but not much was done to empower the poor. It is my belief that once the poor are empowered, they get the courage to fight poverty. When efforts of an honest government and the empowered poor come together, poverty is also defeated. Therefore, whether it is the BJP government at the Center or the BJP governments in the states, they are engaged in empowering the poor following the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas’. Today's program is part of this campaign. These 5.25 lakh houses built in villages under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are not just a figure. These 5.25 lakh houses have become the hallmark of the empowered poor in the country. These 5.25 lakh houses are an example of the sense of service of the BJP government. These 5.25 lakh houses are a reflection of the campaign to make the poor women of the village ‘lakhpati’. These houses are being given to the poor in remote villages and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. I congratulate the people of Madhya Pradesh for these 5.25 lakh houses.
Brothers and sisters,
This campaign to give pucca houses to the poor is not just a government scheme. This is a commitment to entrust the villages and the poor. This is the first step to lifting the poor out of poverty and encouraging them to fight poverty. When the poor have a solid roof over their head, they are able to devote their full attention to the education of their children and other work. When the poor get home, there comes stability in their life. With this thinking, our government is giving top priority to the PM Awas Yojana. Those in the previous government had built only a few lakh houses during their tenure before I took over, whereas our government has given about 2.5 crore houses to the poor and two crore of those houses have been built in villages. Despite the Corona challenges in the last two years, this work was not slowed down. In Madhya Pradesh too, out of about 30.5 lakh sanctioned houses, more than 24 lakh houses have been completed. It is also greatly benefiting those sections of the society like Baiga, Sahariya and Bharia, who could never even dream of a pucca house.
Brothers and sisters,
The specialty of the BJP governments, wherever they are, is that they are grounded and work relentlessly to fulfill the needs and interests of the poor. In the PM Awas Yojana also, we took care that the houses provided to the poor should also be able to meet their other needs as well. Every house has a toilet, electricity connection under the Saubhagya scheme, LED bulbs under the Ujala scheme, gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme and water connection under the Har Ghar Jal Yojana. That is, the poor beneficiaries no longer need to visit government offices for these facilities. This thought of serving the poor is making the life of every countryman easier today.
Friends,
India is a country that worships Shakti. Navratri is going to start in a few days. Our goddesses annihilate the enemies and have been the worshippers of weapons. Our goddesses are the inspiration of knowledge, art and culture. Drawing inspiration from them, India of the 21st century is busy empowering itself and its women power. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is an important part of this campaign. Women also have ownership rights on about two crore houses built under the PM Awas Yojana. This ownership right has also strengthened the participation of women in other economic decisions of the household. This in itself is a study matter for the major universities of the world and the universities of Madhya Pradesh should also study it.
Brothers and sisters,
We have also taken the initiative to provide water to every household to relieve the women of problems. In the last two-and-a-half years, more than six crore families across the country have got pure drinking water connections under this scheme. When the scheme was launched, only 13 lakh rural households in Madhya Pradesh had piped water supply to their homes. Today we are very close to the milestone of providing piped water to 50 lakh families. We are committed to providing piped water to every rural household of Madhya Pradesh.
Friends,
Today I want to assure all those poor people of the country, including Madhya Pradesh, that the campaign to build houses is going on rapidly. Still, some people have not got pucca houses. I am fully aware of this. I want to tell you that a provision has been made to allocate money to build more than 80 lakh houses across the country in this year’s budget. And lakhs of families of Madhya Pradesh are also set to benefit. So far, more than 2.25 lakh crore rupees have been spent on this scheme. This money has been spent in the villages and it has given strength to the rural economy. When a house is built, those involved in the business of bricks, sand, bars, cement and the labourers are local. Therefore, the PM Awas Yojana is also creating new employment opportunities in the villages.
Friends,
Our country has seen many governments for decades after independence. But for the first time, the people of the country are seeing such a government that is with them shoulder to shoulder by becoming their companion in their happiness and woes. During the Corona crisis, the BJP government proved how sensitively it works for the poor, be it free vaccinations for the poor or free ration to the poor. Just now Shivraj ji described it in great detail. It was only two days ago that we decided that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana would be continued for the next six months, so that the stove of the poor's house keeps burning. Earlier the world faced problems due to Corona, and today the entire world is on the battlefield. As a result, there is a new crisis in different economic systems. Efforts are on to minimize the burden and provide help to the citizens of India as much as possible.
Brothers and sisters,
Our government has spent 2.60 lakh crore rupees for free ration to the poor during this biggest pandemic in 100 years. In the next six months, 80,000 crore rupees will be spent on this. Those who used to rob the people's earnings earlier and fill their chests with that money continue to make fun of this scheme, spreading lies and confusion. Today I want to share something with the country. You too listen to it carefully.
Friends,
The people in the previous governments created fake names of four crore beneficiaries who were never born to loot the ration of the poor. Four crore is a huge figure. These four crore fake names were created on paper and the free ration was picked in the name of these four crore fake people and sold in the market through the backdoor. This money through illegal means would go into black accounts. Since we formed the government in 2014, we started searching for these fake names and removed them from the ration cards so that the poor could get their dues. Just imagine, they were looting crores of rupees every month by snatching morsels from the mouths of the poor. We installed modern machines in the ration shops to ensure that the ration for the poor does not get stolen. As you know, they also made fun of the campaign that we launched to install these machines at ration shops. They knew that the truth would come out if people would put their thumb impression on these machines. In order to prevent this, they spread lies that people would contact Corona if they used their thumb impressions. Our government put an end to all these fake games, and therefore, these people are now angry. Can you imagine what would have happened to the poor during the Corona crisis if transparency was not introduced in ration shops and these four crore fake names were not removed? The BJP government dedicated to the poor works day and night for the poor.
Brothers and sisters,
It is our endeavor to make available the basic facilities to every beneficiary faster during this ‘Amrit Kaal’ of freedom. On the strength of such efforts, we are working on the resolve to make the saturation of schemes i.e. 100% of each scheme should reach the beneficiaries. We are committed to ensuring that every beneficiary of any scheme should get the benefits at his doorsteps. The biggest advantage of this goal of saturation is that no poor will be left out of the benefits of the schemes and the government will reach everyone. This will not leave the possibility of any discrimination or corruption. ‘Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas’ will be possible when there is a policy and intent to provide benefits to the poor sitting in the last row in society.
Friends,
We are also expanding the role of villages continuously. The economy of the village was only confined to agriculture for a long time. We are encouraging agriculture, farmers, herdsmen towards modern technology like drones and ancient systems like natural farming besides improving other capabilities of the villages. For a long time, economic activity in village households and on village land has been very limited, because the record of village property was not organized. Therefore, it was very difficult to secure loans from banks for business and set up industries and enterprises in the villages. Now legal documents of houses in villages are being prepared under the Swamitva Yojana. The survey is being done in more than 50,000 villages in all the districts of Madhya Pradesh. About three lakh property cards have been handed over to villagers. Such provisions will minimize disputes related to land and houses and it will be easier to take help from banks when needed.
Friends,
Today I want to congratulate Shivraj ji's government on another milestone. MP has done a wonderful job, has set a new record and has left many states of the country behind in the government procurement of food grains. Today more money is being transferred to the bank account of farmers in MP than before and the number of government procurement centers has also increased. The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is also helping small farmers a lot. More than 13,000 crore rupees have been given to about 90 lakh small farmers of MP for their small expenses.
Friends,
The country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of its independence. Millions of brave sons and daughters of Mother India sacrificed their lives and comforts to ensure freedom for us. Their sacrifice has given us an independent life. We should also resolve during this Amrit Mahotsav to give something to our coming generations. It is very important that our efforts during this period become an inspiration for future generations and remind them of their duties. For example, together we can do one thing. I will definitely ask for a resolution when I am talking to lakhs of families in Madhya Pradesh. Let us resolve to develop 75 Amrit Sarovar  in every district on the occasion of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence for our future generations from the New Year which is starting in the next two-four days till the next New Year. We have 12 months, 365 days. And if possible, I would like the Amrit Sarovar to be new and bigger in every district and the MNREGA money that comes from the government can be utilized for their construction. The construction of 75 Amrit Sarovar in every district during the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence will be very useful for the coming generations. It will benefit our mother earth a lot. Our mother earth is thirsty. We have drawn so much water that it becomes our duty as children of this mother earth to quench her thirst. As a result, new energy will be infused into the life of nature. This will benefit small farmers and women and besides, it will be an act of kindness to animals and birds. That is, the construction of 75 Amrit Sarovar in every district is a great act of humanity, which we must do. I urge all the state governments, local bodies and panchayats to work in this direction.
Friends,
This is the time to build a bright future for India. The bright future of India is possible only when the poor family has a better future. May this new house give a new direction to your family, give you the strength to move towards a new goal, infuse knowledge, skill and confidence in your children! With this wish, I congratulate all the beneficiaries for the ‘Grih Pravesham’.
Thanks!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.